Sara de Vos is a 17th-century still-life painter, mother, and wife whose life unravels when her young daughter dies of the plague. Sara starts out as a woman fulfilling all the expectations of women in her culture by keeping house, raising her daughter, and deferring to her husband. The one significant departure from traditional femininity is that Sara is a painter who has been admitted to the painters’ guild that controls the sale of art in the Netherlands.

After the death of her daughter, Sara dares to embrace a more assertive role. Her husband is so consumed with grief he spends all his time on a mournful painting no one wishes to buy, resulting in grave financial difficulties for the couple. Sara’s decision to petition the guild to sell paintings to cover the couple’s debt is an effort in assuming some control over her financial future. Her plan fails when Barent abandons her. From that point on, Sara assumes ultimate responsibility for herself.

Sara goes to Heemstede to satisfy part of the debt, establishes a relationship with another man, and occasionally paints. Her limited life choices are ones that force her to give up painting for a much more domestic life, albeit one that allows her a degree of contentment and security.